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More Than 24,600 Jazz Fans Turned Out for 2016 Newport Jazz Festival

8/22/2016

More Than 24,000 Jazz Lovers Turned Out for the 2016 Newport Jazz Festival®

Festival Set for August 4 – 6 in 2017

Monty Alexander (Photo by: Ayano Hisa)

Norah Jones (Photo by: Ayano Hisa)

NEWPORT, RI, August 22, 2016 – More than 24,600 Jazz lovers – including a sold out audience on Saturday – turned out at Fort Adams State Park and the International Tennis Hall of Fame at the Newport Casino July 29 – 31 for the 2016 Newport Jazz Festival® presented by Natixis Global Asset Management. Among the audience were more than 3,400 students who took advantage of specially-discounted $20 tickets, which the Festival has sold over the past three years to help build younger audiences.

10th Annual Great Jazz on the Great Hill

8/4/2016

10th Annual Great Jazz on the Great Hill

LIVE PERFORMANCES BY THE JIMMY HEATH BIG BAND AND OTHERS IN CENTRAL PARK

New York ― On Saturday, August 13, the 10th annual Great Jazz on the Great Hill concert in Central Park celebrates the 90th birthday of jazz legend Jimmy Heath ― this National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master will perform with his Big Band.

For ten years, the Central Park Conservancy has brought free music to the Upper West Side. Presented in partnership with Jazzmobile, this year’s lineup will include special guests Antonio Hart (tenor saxophone) and Jeb Patton (pianist); plus Billboard chart topper, R&B, Blues and Jazz vocalist Alyson Williams. Ms. Williams will also serve as the concert’s Emcee. WBGO FM host Sheila Anderson will introduce a tribute to Jimmy Heath, with even more special guests!

Jazz in the Valley Takes Over Poughkeepsie August 21, Noon; Early Bird Tickets Extended to August 14

8/4/2016

TRANSART & Cultural Services’ Jazz in the Valley Returns to Poughkeepsie for the 16th Annual Celebration of America’s Music
at a One-Day Concert Featuring Traditional and Modern Jazz Styles
on Sunday, August 21, Noon, at Waryas Park

Jazz in the Valley Presents
Randy Weston & the African Rhythms Trio with Alex Blake and Neil Clarke;
Jazz By 5: Javon Jackson, Randy Brecker, George Cables, Eddie Gomez and Jimmy Cobb; Craig Harris; Chico Alvarez & the Palomonte Afro-Cuban Big Band; Charenee Wade

Early Bird Tickets: $40 through August 14
General Admission: $50 in Advance; $60 at the Gate
Students with Valid ID: $20
(845) 384-6350 / www.jazzinthevalleyny.org

Randy Weston

Charenee Wade

Javon Jackson

POUGHKEEPSIE, NY, August 4, 2016 – In a hamlet 75 miles north of New York City in the heart of Dutchess County, in the Queen City of the Hudson, otherwise known as Poughkeepsie, TRANSART & Cultural Services brings together some of the best and brightest established stars and emerging artists for the 16th annual celebration of Jazz in the Valley, which takes place on the banks of the Hudson River at Waryas Park on Sunday, August 21, Noon – 6:00 pm.

This year’s musical extravaganza features Randy Weston & the African Rhythms Trio with Alex Blake and Neil Clarke, Craig Harris, Chico Alvarez & the Palomonte Afro-Cuban Big Band, Charenee Wade and the festival’s Artistic Director Javon Jackson, who has put together a special supergroup, Jazz By 5, with Randy Brecker, George Cables, Eddie Gomez and Jimmy Cobb.

Catch Pianist Axel Tosca TONIGHT at The Zinc Bar, 8:00 pm and 9:30 pm

8/4/2016

Pianist Axel Tosca Presents Music from His New Self-titled CD
at The Zinc Bar TONIGHT

The Zinc Bar
82 West Third Street
New York, NY 10012
(212) 477-ZINC (9462)

Set Times: 8:00 pm and 9:30 pm

Cover Charge: $15.00

NEW YORK, NY, August 4, 2016 – THIS JUST IN … Axel Tosca, the Cuban-born, New York-based piano virtuoso, brings the music from his self-titled ALFI Records album to life at a one-night only concert TONIGHT, Thursday, August 4, 8:00 pm and 9:30 pm, at The Zinc Bar, 82 West Third Street in Greenwich Village. Fresh off a stellar concert at Brooklyn’s National Sawdust, Tosca takes the stage with his trio featuring drummer Amaury Acosta and bassist Josh Crumbly.

Tosca was born into a musical family. His mother is internationally-acclaimed singer Xiomara Laugart, known as “The Voice of Cuba.” His father is singer/songwriter Albert Tosca. Since the age of seven, when Axel shifted his focus from guitar to piano, he has absorbed a variety of musical styles from Cuban hip hop to Latin jazz through studies at some of Cuba’s most prestigious music schools. After relocating to the United States in 2005, he performed for two years in the Las Vegas show “Cuban Night.”

Though steeped in jazz traditions, Axel doesn’t look like a cerebral jazz composer in a dark flannel suit. With a shock of day-glow yellow hair (or sometimes red) standing straight up and a matching goatee pointed straight down, he looks more like a madcap scientist experimenting with things that could potentially bubble up. “Axel Tosca” is a clearly thought out, richly-scored addition to contemporary jazz, incorporating beats from around the world woven into soulful, melodic and complicated structures.

The nine tracks on “Axel Tosca” are a virtual culinary tour of Latin America, Africa, Asia and American funk rhythms. They include “Accent,” “Siboney,” “One for Grew,” (by Robert Glasper), “Fulani in Love,” “Hologram,” “Afri Asia,” “Estrella,” “Vibe” and “Rio.”

For tickets and more information, go to www.zincbar.com or call (212) 477-ZINC.

For more information on Axel Tosca and ALFI Records, please visit www.alfirecords.com.

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NJF Presents Solo Piano Concerts at Storyville / Toshiko Akiyoshi Celebrates 60th Anniversary of Performing at Newport Jazz

7/29/2016

Alone @ The 88s: Solo Piano at Storyville

The solo piano setting, the most intimate and intimidating format in jazz, demands a mastery of rhythm, melody, harmony, dynamics and orchestration, with nowhere to hide. And when you are called to play solo piano on a festival stage – especially one as significant at the Newport Jazz Festival – your ability to capture, hold and win the crowd is crucial. The international piano players assembled for the festival’s solo spotlights offer a kaleidoscope of keyboard complexity.

Just a couple of years after the birth of the Newport Jazz Festival, a diminutive, Japanese Berklee College pianist named Toshiko Akiyoshi performed a set of no-nonsense, Bud Powell-pranced bop selections that let the world know she was going to be a force to be reckoned with. Six decades later, Ms. Akiyoshi has more than delivered on her promising potential. This Grammy-winning NEA Jazz Master, along with her husband, the enterprising saxophonist/flutist Lew Tabackin led the Toshiko Akiyoshi-Lew Tabackin Big Band from the seventies to the nineties. It was in that large ensemble that Akiyoshi cemented her reputation as an inventive, first-rate composer, able to combine the distinct musical styles of Duke Ellington, her former employer Charles Mingus, and the rich, ancestral Japanese folk music of her heritage. That brilliant blend of East and West is aurally illustrated on her recordings including Kogun, Sumi-e, and Long Yellow Road. And even though she recorded a number of excellent quartet, trio and solo albums: The Toshiko Trio, Finesse, Toshiko Akiyoshi at Maybeck, and Toshiko Akiyoshi Solo, her composing, bandleading and arranging duties, overshadowed her keyboard prowess.

The Continuum Continues at Newport Jazz Festival

7/28/2016

The Continuum Continues at
Newport Jazz Festival July 29-31

NEWPORT, RI, July, 2016 – For six decades, the Newport Jazz Festival has been a showcase of jazz music’s brightest stars. It’s also been a nexus point where the full extent of the music’s continuum; the inventions, dimensions, styles, syncopations, and sonorities, have crossed stylistic musical barriers. Stefon Harris, Robert Glasper and Kamasi Washington exemplify the very essence of that continuum. In the words of Duke Ellington, they are “Beyond Category.”

Made in the 20th Century, the vibraphone grew up at the same time jazz took shape and its lineage is a select one: from Lionel Hampton, Milt Jackson, Bobby Hutcherson and Roy Ayers. Vibraphonist/marimba virtuoso Stefon Harris is the next step in that legacy, as evidenced by his sideman dates with everybody from Joe Henderson, Kenny Barron (performs at Newport Jazz Festival on Sunday, July 31) and Steve Turre, to his eclectic, jazz tradition-in-transition recordings he released from 1998: In a Cloud of Red Dust, Black Action Figure, Kindred, The Grand Unification Theory, Evolution, African Tarantella: Dances With Duke, and his latest, Urbanbus. On those recordings, Harris laid down some good vibes on 4/4 swing, go-go, Afro-Latin, R&B, hip-hop grooves. And he’ll no doubt do the same when he takes the Fort Adams State Park stage on Saturday, July 30, with his new ensemble, Sonic Creed, consisting of pianist James Francies, vocalist/flutist Elena Pinderhughes, guitarist Mike Moreno, bassist Joshua Crumbly and drummer Jonathan Pinson. He credits the jazz aesthetic in the Black church for his wide-open approach to the music.

All Bases Covered at Newport Jazz Festival

7/28/2016

All Bases Covered at Newport Jazz Festival
July 29-31

NEWPORT, RI, July 2016 – For the six decades that the Newport Jazz Festival has been on the scene, the greatest bass players in jazz – from Ray Brown, Sam Jones and Ron Carter, to Percy Heath, Charlie Haden and Jaco Pastorius – have reigned as lords of the lower frequencies on its stage. That reign continues with four deacons of the down beat – Christian McBride, Dave Holland, Eric Revis and Ben Williams.

The time: 1989. The place: Wynton Marsalis’ New York apartment. The occasion: Marsalis and George Wein – the pianist and Newport Jazz Festival founder/impresario – are engaged in a swinging jam session with a teenage Juilliard bassist from Philadelphia named Christian McBride. As evidenced by his rich and riveting basslines, it was clear to both men that this wunderkind would alter the shape of jazz to come at the change of the century, and beyond. Now, McBride – who made his festival debut in 1991 as a member of The Jazz Futures – returns to Newport on July 29 at the International Tennis Hall of Fame at the Newport Casino and July 30 at Fort Adams State Park as a part of Chick Corea’s Trilogy with the volcanic drummer Brian Blade. His musical heroes range from Ray Brown to James Brown. He’s covered a wide musical spectrum, from straight-ahead and big band, to fusion and R&B on his CDs as a leader, including Number Two Express, Vertical Vision, The Good Feeling, and his Grammy-winning Live at the Village Vanguard. His sideman gigs include playing with Sting days after 9/11 and performing at the White House. He’s also a media host on his radio shows, The Lowdown: Conversations with Christian, on SiriusXM, and National Public Radio’s Jazz Night in America.

D'Angelico Guitars to Sponsor Newport Jazz Festival

7/28/2016

D'Angelico Guitars to Sponsor Newport Jazz Festival

JULY 28 -- In celebration of their shared musical heritage, D'Angelico Guitars is a proud first-time sponsor of the 2016 Newport Jazz Festival. All in attendance are encouraged to stop by their front-of-house tent to try the instruments, grab free giveaways, and enter to win a guitar.

Founded in 1932 by master-luthier John D’Angelico, D’Angelico Guitars is a New York City-based luxury guitar brand. Revered for making some of the finest archtop and semi-hollow guitars in the world, D’Angelico is in the midst of a modern resurgence. Reissues and new designs broaden its line every year, while brand presence grows rapidly.

In their 84 years as a brand, D'Angelico has never formally sponsored the Newport Jazz Festival, one of the most renowned jazz events in the world. As the guitar of choice for jazz legends such as Tony Mottola and modern stars like Kurt Rosenwinkel, the D'Angelico name has always been closely associated with the genre. Now, attendees and artists alike will be able to interact with the brand and its instruments on the festival grounds from July 29-31.

Natixis Global Asset Management Announces George Wein Jazz Ambassador Scholarship Winners

7/28/2016

Natixis Global Asset Management Announces George Wein Jazz Ambassador Scholarship Winners, Celebrates the Next Generation of Jazz at the 2016 Newport Jazz Festival

Natixis to present scholarships to William Evans and Samuel Atallah at the Festival
Sponsors jazz workshop for students from Boston Public Schools

BOSTON, July 26, 2016 – Natixis Global Asset Management today announced the winners of this year’s George Wein Jazz Ambassador Scholarships are William Evans of Rehoboth, MA and Samuel Atallah of Needham, MA. Natixis created the scholarships six years ago to help enable student musicians to pursue their musical and academic dreams. John Hailer, CEO for the Americas and Asia at Natixis Global Asset Management, will present the scholarships at the 2016 Newport Jazz Festival, where Natixis has been the presenting sponsor since 2011. The festival takes place July 29 through July 31 at Fort Adams State Park in Newport, RI.

Natixis, one of the world’s largest asset managers,[1] awards the two $5,000 scholarships annually to two aspiring college-bound musicians as part of its broader commitment to music education and to fostering the next generation of jazz musicians and fans. The scholarships are named in celebration of George Wein, the founder of the Newport Jazz Festival and one of the original jazz ambassadors, who has spent his life working to bring people together through the power of jazz.

“Every year we look forward to awarding these scholarships to a new generation of talented young musicians who embody the spirit and energy of jazz and of George Wein, and we hope it will help them become part of the rich culture of jazz for years to come,“ said Hailer, who joined the Newport Festivals Foundation board of directors last year. “We are proud to celebrate another year sponsoring the Newport Jazz Festival and the vibrant history, creativity and unique ability of jazz to bring different cultures together.”

[1] Cerulli Quantitative Update: Global Markets 2016 ranked Natixis Global Asset Management, S.A. as the 16th largest asset manager in the world based on assets under management ($870.3 billion) as of December 31, 2015.

Newport Jazz Festival Tickets Still Available for Friday and Sunday

7/28/2016

Newport Jazz Festival® Tickets
for Friday and Sunday at Fort Adams
Still Available While Supplies Last

Newport, RI, July 25, 2016 – Tickets are still available for Friday and Sunday concerts for the Newport Jazz Festival® at Fort Adams State Park and the International Tennis Hall of Fame at the Newport Casino.

On July 29, don’t miss Friday at the Fort, made possible in part by the generous support of the Rhode Island Foundation, with concerts by some of the jazz world’s brightest new stars. Artists include Kamasi Washington, Galactic, Kneebody, Tierney Sutton, Peter Apfelbaum Sparkler, Etienne Charles & Creole Soul, Donny McCaslin Group, The legendary Heath Brothers and more.

On Sunday, July 31, catch Angélique Kidjo, Robert Glasper Experiment, Nels Cline Music from Lovers, Lizz Wright, José James, Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah Presents Stretch Music, Kenny Barron Trio, Charles Lloyd New Quartet, The Anat Cohen Tentet, The Westerlies, an encore performance by Kamasi Washington and many more.

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More Than 24,000 Jazz Lovers Turned Out for the 2016 Newport Jazz Festival® Festival Set for August 4 – 6 in 2017

10th Annual Great Jazz on the Great Hill LIVE PERFORMANCES BY THE JIMMY HEATH BIG BAND AND OTHERS IN CENTRAL PARK

Pianist Axel Tosca Presents Music from His New Self-titled CD at The Zinc Bar TONIGHT The Zinc Bar82 West Third Street New York, NY 10012(212) 477-ZINC (9462) Set Times: 8:00 pm and 9:30 pm Cover Charge: $15.00

Alone @ The 88s: Solo Piano at Storyville

The Continuum Continues at ​Newport Jazz Festival July 29-31

All Bases Covered at Newport Jazz Festival ​July 29-31

D'Angelico Guitars to Sponsor Newport Jazz Festival

Natixis Global Asset Management Announces George Wein Jazz Ambassador Scholarship Winners, Celebrates the Next Generation of Jazz at the 2016 Newport Jazz Festival

Newport Jazz Festival® Ticketsfor Friday and Sunday at Fort AdamsStill Available While Supplies Last

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More Than 24,000 Jazz Lovers Turned Out for the 2016 Newport Jazz Festival®

Festival Set for August 4 – 6 in 2017

10th Annual Great Jazz on the Great Hill

LIVE PERFORMANCES BY THE JIMMY HEATH BIG BAND AND OTHERS IN CENTRAL PARK

Pianist Axel Tosca Presents Music from His New Self-titled CD
at The Zinc Bar TONIGHT

The Zinc Bar
82 West Third Street
New York, NY 10012
(212) 477-ZINC (9462)

Set Times: 8:00 pm and 9:30 pm

Cover Charge: $15.00

The Continuum Continues at
Newport Jazz Festival July 29-31

All Bases Covered at Newport Jazz Festival
July 29-31

Newport Jazz Festival® Tickets
for Friday and Sunday at Fort Adams
Still Available While Supplies Last